Warriors: The Savage Generation
by xx.hail.storm
Summary: Wolfpaw lives in times where StarClan, Firestar and the warrior code are not even kit's legends to be looked down upon. Can she finally find the way to bring the old warrior days back? WTSG second version.
1. Prologue

**Warriors: The Savage Generation**

_By x. Winterstar_

_Prologue_

A screech ripped through the camp. Many cats, their legs mottled with dark mud, scattered into the corners of the camp, hiding among the vines that formed the dens.

Two cats grappled in the middle of the clearing, one a dark, muscled tabby, the other a long-furred warm brown tom. The tabby had the advantage, with his long claws and broad shoulders. The smaller brown cat beneath him seemed to be losing, but a snarl was on his face as he fought for his life.

Wolfkit watched on from the safety and warmth of the nursery. Her green eyes were wide open, horrified at the gruesome scene that folded before her. The MudClan deputy, Elmclaw, had challenged Clan leader, Mudstar. Mudstar was an older cat, but still fierce.

Wolfkit's mother, a tortoiseshell cat named Splotchedpelt, watched over her kits and the battle with only slight interest. The nearly six-moon-old kits were rambunctious and looked for all sorts of excuses to escape the nursery, but even they were scared to step outside when it was pouring rain and two screeching, experienced warriors were out there fighting bloody tooth and claw. Wolfkit's brother Moorkit came over and gave his ginger sister's shoulder a lick. Wolfkit looked at him gratefully. Moorkit was her favourite of her two brothers. He blinked warmly at her.

Turning their attention back to the battle, Wolfkit mewled fearfully in horror. Elmclaw was on top of Mudstar, sinking his sharp teeth into the old cat's neck. Mudstar screeched in pain, writhing in attempt to throw his deputy off. The muscular tabby only drew in his jaws together faster. Blood began to wet Mudstar's neck fur. The sharp tang was so strong not even the rain could wash it away. The rock on the bottom of the stony ravine that formed the MudClan camp began to stain red. Some cats began to look bored; this was a natural occurrence between Clans. The Clan names were constantly changing as new leaders rose.

Elmclaw stood over the dead leader, raising his chin in defiance. He stood to face the majority of the Clan cats. Wolfkit shrunk back further into the den, bumping into her mother's soft underbelly. Her mother's gentle green-gold eyes cast warmth over Wolfkit, making her feel slightly braver. Elmclaw's dark mew came from the murky outdoors.

"I am leader now. This Clan is now known as ElmClan. The new deputy is Grassfoot."

Cats began to exit from their dens hesitantly, becoming braver as they realized that Elmclaw was not going to leap out and kill warriors that were braver than some. A pale brown tom with faint tabby markings padded slowly up to Elmclaw, whose fixed his amber gaze on the cat that approached him.

"Elmclaw, I am honoured to be your deputy. I shall serve you as long as I can, and I will never defy your leadership."

Elmclaw scraped his unusually long claws across the rock, leaving small gouges. He was growing impatient, wanting to get Mudstar's cold, hard body out of his camp. Wolfkit watched him, his dark eyes frowning.

"You better not. Get this out of my camp." He poked Mudstar's still body. Two elders hobbled forwards on stiff, wet limbs, and slowly carried him up the rocks and out of the camp.

Wolfkit tilted her small ginger head to the side in confusion, wondering why Mudstar was going away. She understood that he was dead, that he was with StarClan, but surely… didn't he have nine lives?

Wolfkit questioned her mother on this. Dampkit, her other sibling, opened his pale green-hazel eyes wide.

"Leaders only have nine lives in fairy tales! Even I knew that!" he hissed quietly, not wanting the intimidating Elmclaw to overhear him. Wolfkit shook her flame-coloured pelt, then turned back to the aftermath of the battle. The cats outside had started to chant over and over again. "Elmstar! Elmstar!"

The huge, long-clawed, dark tabby tom raised his head, enjoying his new power ranking and the attention he was getting. "Grassfoot. I need patrols organized, _now_."

"But Elmstar, surely it is-" Elmstar curled his lip in the beginning of a threatening snarl. "I mean, yes, Elmstar." The deputy dipped his head in respect and rounded up a group of warriors.

Wolfkit looked up to her mother, but her mother's dry green gaze was fixed on Elmstar, eyes huge and horrified. She hissed a few unfathomable words to herself. Her eyes flicked to her kits, and she shook her head.

"Mother? What's wrong?" Wolfkit asked.

Splotchedpelt licked a few quick strokes over the top of her daughter's head, purring reassuringly.

"Nothing, dear. Go to sleep now, it's late and you have a big day tomorrow."

Wolfkit was confused. "Big day?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat smiled. "It's Elmstar first day as leader tomorrow, and you want to look like a good kit in front of him so you can be an apprentice, right?"

Wolfkit nodded uncertainly, then peered back out into the wet gloom. The new leader was stalking to his den, his broad shoulders slick with rain. There was a nagging thought at the back of Wolfkit's head; a thought that Elmstar would not be as great of a leader as he seemed.


	2. Chapter 1

**Warriors: The Savage Generation**

_By x. Winterstar_

_Chapter 1_

A screech ripped through the camp. Many cats, their legs mottled with dark mud, scattered into the corners of the camp, hiding among the vines that formed the dens.

Two cats grappled in the middle of the clearing, one a dark, muscled tabby, the other a long-furred warm brown tom. The tabby had the advantage, with his long claws and broad shoulders. The smaller brown cat beneath him seemed to be losing, but a snarl was on his face as he fought for his life.

Wolfkit watched on from the safety and warmth of the nursery. Her green eyes were wide open, horrified at the gruesome scene that folded before her. The MudClan deputy, Elmclaw, had challenged Clan leader, Mudstar. Mudstar was an older cat, but still fierce.

Wolfkit's mother, a tortoiseshell cat named Splotchedpelt, watched over her kits and the battle with only slight interest. The nearly six-moon-old kits were rambunctious and looked for all sorts of excuses to escape the nursery, but even they were scared to step outside when it was pouring rain and two screeching, experienced warriors were out there fighting bloody tooth and claw. Wolfkit's brother Moorkit came over and gave his ginger sister's shoulder a lick. Wolfkit looked at him gratefully. Moorkit was her favourite of her two brothers. He blinked warmly at her.

Turning their attention back to the battle, Wolfkit mewled fearfully in horror. Elmclaw was on top of Mudstar, sinking his sharp teeth into the old cat's neck. Mudstar screeched in pain, writhing in attempt to throw his deputy off. The muscular tabby only drew in his jaws together faster. Blood began to wet Mudstar's neck fur. The sharp tang was so strong not even the rain could wash it away. The rock on the bottom of the stony ravine that formed the MudClan camp began to stain red. Some cats began to look bored; this was a natural occurrence between Clans. The Clan names were constantly changing as new leaders rose.

Elmclaw stood over the dead leader, raising his chin in defiance. He stood to face the majority of the Clan cats. Wolfkit shrunk back further into the den, bumping into her mother's soft underbelly. Her mother's gentle green-gold eyes cast warmth over Wolfkit, making her feel slightly braver. Elmclaw's dark mew came from the murky outdoors.

"I am leader now. This Clan is now known as ElmClan. The new deputy is Grassfoot."

Cats began to exit from their dens hesitantly, becoming braver as they realized that Elmclaw was not going to leap out and kill warriors that were braver than some. A pale brown tom with faint tabby markings padded slowly up to Elmclaw, whose fixed his amber gaze on the cat that approached him.

"Elmclaw, I am honoured to be your deputy. I shall serve you as long as I can, and I will never defy your leadership."

Elmclaw scraped his unusually long claws across the rock, leaving small gouges. He was growing impatient, wanting to get Mudstar's cold, hard body out of his camp. Wolfkit watched him, his dark eyes frowning.

"You better not. Get this out of my camp." He poked Mudstar's still body. Two elders hobbled forwards on stiff, wet limbs, and slowly carried him up the rocks and out of the camp.

Wolfkit tilted her small ginger head to the side in confusion, wondering why Mudstar was going away. She understood that he was dead, that he was with StarClan, but surely… didn't he have nine lives?

Wolfkit questioned her mother on this. Dampkit, her other sibling, opened his pale green-hazel eyes wide.

"Leaders only have nine lives in kits' tales! Even I knew that!" he hissed quietly, not wanting the intimidating Elmclaw to overhear him. Wolfkit shook her flame-coloured pelt, then turned back to the aftermath of the battle. The cats outside had started to chant over and over again. "Elmstar! Elmstar!"

The huge, long-clawed, dark tabby tom raised his head, enjoying his new power ranking and the attention he was getting. "Grassfoot. I need patrols organized, _now_."

"But Elmstar, surely it is-" Elmstar curled his lip in the beginning of a threatening snarl. "I mean, yes, Elmstar." The deputy dipped his head in respect and rounded up a group of warriors.

Wolfkit looked up to her mother, but her mother's dry green gaze was fixed on Elmstar, eyes huge and horrified. She hissed a few unfathomable words to herself. Her eyes flicked to her kits, and she shook her head.

"Mother? What's wrong?" Wolfkit asked.

Splotchedpelt licked a few quick strokes over the top of her daughter's head, purring reassuringly.

"Nothing, dear. Go to sleep now, it's late and you have a big day tomorrow."

Wolfkit was confused. "Big day?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat smiled. "It's Elmstar first day as leader tomorrow, and you want to look like a good kit in front of him so you can be an apprentice, right?"

Wolfkit nodded uncertainly, then peered back out into the wet gloom. The new leader was stalking to his den, his broad shoulders slick with rain. There was a nagging thought at the back of Wolfkit's head; a thought that Elmstar would not be as great of a leader as he seemed.


	3. Chapter 2

**Warriors: The Savage Generation**

_By x. Winterstar_

**Late AN: It's actually been almost a year since the first version of W:TSG was submitted on It was a more popular story than most (My name was Galestar then), but it has a lot of terminology flaws (wrong herbs used for the wrong injuries, etc.), and some of the strange (and savage XD) happenings in the story weren't explained in a believable way. So here's the second version of W:TSG, bigger and better! I'm happy, I got 6 different reviews and Alert/Favourite List addings within 5 minutes as I was writing this! Thank you, guys, and the story only gets better!**

_Chapter 2_

Wolfkit kneaded the ground with her paws. Elmstar had been leader for a couple of days, and all the apprentices and warriors had overworked themselves to please Elmstar. Thunderstep, a thickset, large warrior with huge paws that seemed big enough to crush a bold kit that came near him, had been assigned to in-camp duties because Elmstar has heard him complaining angrily about the amount of work the Clan needed to do just to keep him happy.

"He doesn't even get out of camp himself," Wolfkit had overheard him grumbling under his breath. "We work hard enough to survive as it is! Why should we work even harder just to please Elmstar? He's never happy!" Wolfkit felt sorry for the warrior, but then a twisting feeling clenched her stomach. Quickly, she fled to the nursery, crying squeals threatening to break loose because of the pain.

"Mother!" she gasped, her mew shaky.

"What is it?" Her mother ran over, concern and alarm showing in her golden eyes.

"I dunno…" Wolfkit moaned, rolling onto her side. "My belly hurts…" The pain was like a Clan of fearsome warriors, all of them sinking their sharp, burning claws into her soft belly. The pain wouldn't go away; it only became sharper with every passing heartbeat. Wolfkit mewed and cried in agony. Her mother quickly snatched her by the scruff. Through the misty pain clouding her eyes, Wolfkit caught a dim glance of the flat walls of the camp and the small entrance to the medicine cat's den.

Treefall, the medicine cat, looked up in alarm as Splotchedpelt skidded to a halt in his den, paws kicking up dust and scattering herbs. Wolfkit spluttered and the dust coated her throat, and started coughing. It was horrible. The dust threatened to choke her, filling up her lungs with every cough. Then coldness began to pour down her throat. The suffocating dust vanished. Wolfkit realized that Treefall was giving her some water to drink. Her paws touched cool stone, and the bellyache had eased up enough for her to stand.

"Her belly hurts," Splotchedpelt explained. Treefall nodded, his gentle amber gaze meeting Wolfkit's green one. He padded away, and was soon back, a leaf bundle in his mouth. He set it down by Wolfkit, and unraveled the soft green leaves, revealing several small, black seeds.

"How about some poppy seeds?" he mewed soothingly. "They will get rid of the pain."

Wolfkit obediently lapped up the seeds. Her mother nodded gratefully at the brown tabby, then picked Wolfkit up. Wolfkit complained, indignant. "I can walk!" she meowed. Splotchedpelt hesitated, then padded out of the den. Wolfkit followed her, trying to keep up with her mother's quick, long strides.

Once inside the nursery, Wolfkit flopped down in the soft moss nest she shared with her brothers and mother and washed a slightly trembling ginger paw. Moorkit padded over, his dark, curious gaze fixed on her.

"What was that all about?" he mewed questioningly.

After a pause, Wolfkit replied. "I'm not sure," she meowed slowly and quietly. "I was thinking about how hard the warriors have been working since Elmstar became leader, and then my stomach sort of twisted. I think it was because I remembered that we were going to become apprentices soon, and that we'd have to work that hard."

"Or maybe it was that old mouse we ate last night," Moorkit meowed, whiskers trembling with laughter. "You were fast asleep at the time, but just after moonhigh last night my belly started hurting really badly. Dampkit's as well. Mother took us to see Treefall, but I think she was alarmed when she saw how bad yours was. You must've eaten the bad part of the mouse."

Wolfkit knew her brother was trying to cheer her up, but she wondered what the real reason for her bellyache was. The poppy seeds had done their job; her belly didn't hurt anymore, but she still felt ill at ease. She flashed her brother a grateful look, then went outside, padding towards the entrance to the camp.

She scrambled up the edges, tiny claws making clicking noises on the rocks as she leaped from rock to rock. The rocks' surfaces were amazingly smooth, and more than once her paws almost slipped.

She finally reached the top, panting. She was about to squeeze through the entrance when a harsh meow stopped her.

"Whar d'you think yer goin', kit?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Warriors: The Savage Generation**

_By x. Winterstar_

**Thanks to my reviewers, as always!**

_Chapter 3_

Wolfkit whirled around. Dustywind, a pale brown warrior, about a fox-length away, was padding towards her. His jaw was twisted in such a way that it looked like he was grinning like a dog, and his meow was strange and hard to understand. The apprentices said he was from a Twolegplace far away, in the direction the sun set, and the power-hungry Flamestar welcomed the newcomer into his Clan after the rogue killed once of his warriors. It had been the test. Flamestar was killed later by Mudpelt, who hated how the leader thought he was superior to any other cat. Killing was a common happening in the Clans, and no cat was surprised at it.

"It no' safe fer a mouse-brained kit ter be outta camp!" he spat at Wolfkit.

Wolfkit flattened her ears in fear and surprise and bowed her head in respect. "Sorry, Dustywind. I wanted to get a drink of water. I'm very thirsty."

"Weel, if 'at's all, git movin', I'm right be'ind ja."

Wolfkit padded obediently out of camp, towards a nearby narrow stream. She hated the way Dustywind talked, and she thought he talked like that just to sound tough. He had probably picked it up from those mouse-brained Twolegs.

She dipped her head and lapped the water with her small pink tongue, relishing the coolness trickling down her throat. Dustywind took a drink as well, but he made slight slurping noises as he lapped up the water. Wolfkit, disgusted, drew her head away from the water as if a snake had bitten her. "I'm going back to camp," she announced, and padded in the direction of the camp.

Thunderstep was working on the barrier when she got back, growling under his breath as usual. She padded quietly passed him, not willing to disturb him.

When she got back into camp, Dampkit was waiting for her. "Quickly! Mother has something important to tell us!" he mewed, bouncing up and down in excitement. "Hurry!" he called over his shoulder as he half-climbed, half-fell down the rocks into the camp. Wolfkit pelted after him, red-orange paws still wet from the water.

Splotchedpelt was sitting in soft, mossy nest, cleaning Moorkit's mottled fur. "Kits, I have some news to tell you," she meowed, a worried look in her eyes. "And it's not good, nor bad."

**Cliffy! Sorry, the computer is giving me a headache, I have to get off. I know it's a short chapter, but I need to get a bit of fresh air. I'll update soon!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Warriors: The Savage Generation**

_By x. Winterstar_

**Looks like the old review activity of the story just doesn't die out! As always, thanks for reviewing!**

**(Disclaimer: If I did own Warriors, would I be writing one of these?)**

_Chapter 4_

"Kits, Elmstar doesn't think we have enough warriors," she meowed, and began washing Dampkit's fur; he squeaked in complaint. "He wants to make you all apprentices right now instead of waiting for another quarter-moon. That way, he thinks we'll be able to get stronger warriors when you've reached warriorship."

Wolfkit didn't believe what she was hearing. She'd heard the ancient legend of Brokenstar, the evil leader who apprenticed kits when they were three moons old, but she never thought that Elmstar would follow along the same lines! "Wh-when is the ceremony, Mother?"

"Tonight, at moonrise. Elmstar wanted it to be at sunhigh so you could start training immediately, and Grassfoot agreed with him, but some of the senior warriors were against that theory. I think they convinced Elmstar you needed rest so you could train even harder tomorrow." She shuddered in horror and disgust. She then pulled Wolfkit towards her and began licking her head. The strokes soothed Wolfkit; she was fearful of the ceremony. Her stomach started aching again as she thought of the hard work that she'd have to do. She quickly dismissed these thoughts. If the pain-easing poppy seeds couldn't even ease her bellyaches occasionally, then she'd best not think about it. She hated the pain it caused her.

In the hours before the ceremony, the kits played for the last time, practicing hunting and fighting skills on one another. Wolfkit felt joy and adrenaline pulse through her veins; she loved playing with her siblings. She even forgot about how suspicious she was of Elmstar in all the action. It was only after their mother got upset with them for messing up their fur that she remembered how dark her short life seemed at the moment. After their mother cleaned them up again, it was only a short wait until the apprentice ceremony; it was already sundown.

A summoning yowl resonated around the flat-sided clearing. Cats emerged wearily from their dens, wanting to rest after a day of strife. They sat down by the Highledge, looking bored and tired.

"We have gathered here today to name three new apprentices," Elmstar meowed. "They will serve their Clan well, and they will serve me even better. They will be warriors who will fight to the death for me someday. Their names are now Damppaw, Moorpaw and Wolfpaw. Damppaw's mentor will be Longfur, Moorpaw's mentor will be Eagleflight, and Wolfpaw's mentor will be Blacktail. You start training before sunhigh tomorrow. Clan dismissed."

Wolfpaw's jaw dropped open. That wasn't an apprentice ceremony! There were so many things wrong, and missing! Elmstar's speech had outraged her. Serve him! He was the last warrior she'd die for!

Fuming, she stalked over to the apprentices' den. She curled up beside Lightningpaw, the fastest runner in the Clan even though he was an apprentice, tucked her flame-coloured paws underneath her chest, and waited for her anger to die down.

Beside her, Lightningpaw woke up. He had been the only apprentice until Wolfpaw and her siblings came along. She felt his gaze burn into her for a second. With a twinge of embarrassment, Wolfpaw realized that she had never talked to the young apprentice. She opened her mouth to mew a greeting, but Lightningpaw spoke first.

"You're Wolfpaw, aren't you?" he asked hesitantly, uncertain what her reaction would be.

Not trusting her voice, afraid that she might unwillingly snap at him, Wolfpaw nodded.

"Uh…." He shuffled his paws a little in his nest, kneading the ground. "Er, are you angry about how your ceremony went? I don't think that was fair. Had it been me, I would've clawed Elmstar's eyes out! It's been pretty bad for us since Elmstar became leader; I suppose I'm pretty lucky to have Mudstar perform my ceremony."

Wolfpaw felt herself calm down a bit, glad that another cat understood. She nodded again. She stretched her limber muscles, relishing the feel of them working out small kinks and releasing some of her anger. Feeling refreshed, she lay down again in her new nest. She felt a tickling on her back, and she twitched slightly.

"It's a piece of moss. I'll get it," Lightningpaw mewed. Wolfpaw felt him brush her ginger fur, and then he withdrew, a small scrap of moss in his mouth.

Wolfpaw _mrrowed_ with laughter when she saw his face. "You look like you're about to eat that," she remarked. The black-and-white apprentice twitched his tail in embarrassment and threw the scrap of moss away.

Moorpaw and Damppaw then entered the den, collapsing in mossy nests on the other side of the cave.

"Hi, Moorpaw, Damppaw. Why don't you come make your nests by ours?" Lightingpaw mewed as the two brothers started making themselves comfortable.

Damppaw looked over his shoulder at his denmates. "It's too hot, sleeping beside one another! It's greenleaf!" he meowed, stretching out his forepaws. "Well, I suppose we'd better eat now. All the other warriors are done eating their fill."

The fresh-kill pile was smaller than usual, but the four apprentices still had lots to choose from. Wolfpaw stopped right outside the den to look at the night sky. She recalled the words of her mother.

_"In legends, the stars of Silverpelt are our warrior ancestors, looking down at us from a Clan called StarClan. It is supposed to be the place all warriors go when they die."_ Could there really be dead warriors watching over her? Wolfpaw was pondering this when she felt a nudge on her shoulder. It was Lightningpaw.

"Care to share this big vole with me?" he asked, holding a large water vole in his mouth. Wolfpaw felt the tips of her ears turn hot. She nodded and lay down. Lightningpaw joined her, his soft, dark pelt lightly brushing her flame-coloured one. Lightningpaw pushed the vole towards her with a mottled paw, and Wolfpaw took a small bite. She had never tasted water vole before, and she found it delicious. She took a larger bite, then passed the vole back to Lightningpaw. The rest of their meal proceeded in the same manner.

_He must be lonely,_ Wolfpaw thought._ He doesn't have any friends, and he's been the only apprentice since he received his apprentice name. He needs a friend._

Once back inside the warm den, Wolfpaw washed her paws, drew her right forepaw over her face, and then curled up into a ball in her nest. It wasn't as soft as the nursery's nests were, but Wolfpaw willed herself to get some rest. The last thing she remembered was Lightningpaw curling up next to her, his flank touching hers.

Ooh! Hehe, I think I accidentally made a pairing! (Or was it an accident?) :3 Anyway, this may get interesting later on… Heh heh heh…. 


	6. Chapter 5

**Warriors: The Savage Generation**

_By x. Winterstar_

**So I'm lazy and didn't update. Sue me. . Sorry.**

_Chapter 5_

The next morning Wolfpaw woke up to a threatening growl outside the den. The sunlight was blocked out by two dark, massive shoulders, casting the den in dark, streaked shadow.

"Worthless apprentice! You do about as much work as a kit! Go get Blacktail and do something worth my time. Lazy mentor should be awake by now anyways…." Elmstar stalked off, shoulders raised and head hunched. His tail lashed back and forth. _StarClan, someone got up on the wrong side of the nest!_ Wolfpaw thought to herself as she licked a paw and passed it over her head. After this quick wash, she trotted over to the warriors' den, trying to look busy in case Elmstar was watching.

"Blacktail? Are you in here?" Wolfpaw mewed nervously. However, only one warrior was in the den, and they were thinking about ways they could reinforce and expand the den for the apprentices, who were likely to become warriors before they reached twelve moons. She padded over to the cat. It was a warrior called Fogstorm. He turned his thick-coloured, pale green eyes towards Wolfpaw. She shrank under his gaze, he always had a vague look about him, but his mind was sharp.

"Are you looking for Blacktail? He was out on the dawn patrol with Dustywind, Rockfall and Moorpaw this morning. They'll be a while coming back. If you'd like, you can help me find a way to expand the den," he meowed. "Raintail needed to take out Lightningpaw for some fighting practice, and the rest of the cats are either on patrol, working out the other dens, or testing ways to make our fighting and huting abilities better." He snorted. "Now, should we take out this wall, since there's more space to build around, or should we expand it by this already-weakened wall?"

Wolfpaw spent the morning with Fogstorm, then washed her fur right before sunhigh. The dawn patrol was sure to return soon. Her ginger fur was grubby and dusty from the work she had work with the white warrior, and she looked a pale brown tone to any passing cats.

She twisted her head around to get a dust patch in the middle of her back. She was cleaning the base of her tail when the patrol returned. Blacktail snatched a small mouse off the fresh-kill pile.

"Ready to go?"

Wolfpaw nodded, swiping her tongue around her lips to get rid of the taste of dust. She got to her paws and followed her mentor out of the quarry.

She followed her mentor to a clearing in the woods. There were many patches of moss on the ground, but other than that the ground was dry and cracked.

"This is a fighting hollow," Blacktail said. "Elmstar wanted us to work on your fighting skills."

"Shouldn't we be doing a territory patrol first?" Wolfpaw inquired. Elmstar didn't approve of the elders telling the kits legends, but he grudgingly let the elders tell them of their apprentice days, and some pointers that would make them good warriors. Nettletail had told her the order in which the apprentices learned skills, and Wolfpaw knew the order by heart.

Blacktail shook his head sadly. "Elmstar's orders. He said that we can take the moonrise patrol. The sundown patrol is doing BirchClan's **(A/N: WindClan's)** border, so we'll do PineClan's **(A/N: Obviously ShadowClan's)** border." He paused. "The lake, too."

"Now, I'll show you the most basic offensive move. In this position, you can stay out of the way of your opponent." He leaped into the air, twisted his body, unsheathed his claws, and landed heavily on the ground.

"That move is to be used if you're face to face with your enemy. You leap over them and land on their shoulders. Careful, though, for this move is easy to counterattack with warriors. They can rear up on their hind paws to stop you, or they can roll onto their backs to squish you. I will show you what you can do in those situations after you perfect this move." Blacktail took a fighting stance. "Come at me."

Wolfpaw focused her gaze in between Blacktail's ears, and ran towards him. She hesitated for a moment, judging her distance, then leaped. Blacktail easily reared up and cuffed her ears with a paw before pushing her to the ground. Wolfpaw scrabbled to her paws and backed up, eyes confused.

"It was much too evident what you were going to do," Blacktail explained. "Your eyes were focused on your landing point. You ran like you were preparing to jump. You hesistated, crouching down to jump. You have to take your enemy by_ surprise_."

Wolfpaw bowed her head in shame. "Sorry, Blacktail," she mewed quietly.

"You can't expect to get it right the first time!" Blacktail purred. "It takes lots of practice! Try again," he added encouragingly.

Wolfpaw looked up. She knew what she was going to do. She glared at her mentor, keeping her gaze fixed upon his face the entire time. Then, she charged, keeping herself low to the ground and keeping her weight even on all four paws. As she leaped, going for distance and speed instead of height, she raked a claw over Blacktail's face and landed on his back- the wrong way. Disappointed, she leaped off of her mentor.

Blacktail had a surprised look on his face. "Great move insert! You took me literally when I said 'surprise'." He looked at Wolfpaw more closely. "You look sad... you landed on my back the wrong way, didn't you?"

Wolfpaw nodded, ripping a piece of moss absent-mindedly with her claws. She couldn't get this move right. It was impossible. She was never going to be a warrior.

Blacktail purred. "But with your great improvisation, your enemy would be stunned, allowing you to turn around in that small amount of time. It was great."

Wolfpaw nodded, not cheered up very much.

"Let's practice the roll-over counterattack. Leap on my back. I'm going to start rolling over. You have to jump into the air and land on my belly. Okay?"

Wolfpaw nodded, and leaped immeadiately. Blacktail grunted in surprise, then crouched for a tight, fast roll. Wolfpaw jumped, using her hind paws to push off his back roughly. However, Blacktail had already been rolling, and her jump was stunted. She landed roughly on his hind paws. She made a feeble attempt to scratch at Blacktail's belly, to no avail.

Blacktail kicked her off gently and rolled to his paws. "Let's try again."

It was nearing dusk when they finally stopped. Wolfpaw had perfected the back-leaping move, along with its joint attacks should the enemy counterattack. She had also perfected a belly-kicking move, and she was working on the fox defense.

"We'll practice the badger defense tomorrow," Blacktail mewed, getting to his paws after Wolfpaw had knocked him over while practicing. He was panting, but tried not to show it.

As for Wolfpaw, her throat was sore and raw. Each breath was painful and felt cold and dry. She swallowed, but she had no more saliva to wet her throat. Breathing through her nose hurt as well. It made her feel like she was breathing in ice slivers. She coughed.

Blacktail looked at her. "We'll get something to eat after the patrol. We're not supposed to eat during the patrols; Elmstar says that he gets the first pick, then the oldest cats do." He gave Wolfpaw a pitiful look. "Apprentices usually end up sharing whatever scraps remain. Sometimes you have to go hungry. Elmstar says it teaches you to harden up for leaf-bare, but during leaf-bare last year an apprentice died of starvation. So did a few kits."

Wolfpaw shivered. That could have been her.

"Are you coming?" Blacktail's voice brought her out of her thoughts. He drew a dark grey paw over his ear and twitched his whiskers.

"Uh, yeah," Wolfpaw meowed hurriedly. She followed her mentor out of the hollow.

They padded on, Blacktail stopping to point out an old badger set or foxhole every now and then. They soon came upon a clearing with a stream. Blacktail held back, lurking in the trees just before the clearing.

"This is the border we share with PineClan," Blacktail explained. "It's always been a disputed piece of land, because PineClan owns the clearing and our leader of the present and our leaders of the past think that the river should separate the territories. We're too close to the border for comfort. Let's leave before a patrol spots us."

They padded near the border, Blacktail marking the border on the ElmClan side every now and then and showing Wolfpaw how to do it. **(A/N: Don't be sick, he means in the way of scratching trees, crushing leaves and rubbing against plants. 3)**

Blacktail's dark-furred ears pricked up. He signaled with his tail for Wolfpaw to remain silent. He dropped into a hunting crouch, creeping forwards softly and lightly on his paws. He then pounced, his paws making no noise as he pushed off of the ground. He ended the life of the creature he was hunting with a swift bite to the neck. He lifted his head and produced a vole from the bushes.

"Next time, you're going to try," he told her. "Show me your hunting crouch right now. I have no doubt you practiced it lots as a kit."

Wolfpaw shook off the retort that she still was technically a kit, and bent down into her crouch. She envisioned a mouse in front of her. She knew you had to be light on your paws to catch mice. She tensed her stomach muscles, and gently crept forward, putting her paw down lightly on the ground. She lifted a back paw, and...

_Crunch!_

Wolfpaw leaped, her ginger fur standing on end. She spun around. She had put down her paw on a leaf, which had crunched under her weight.

Blacktail twitched his tail in amusement. "You have to check your surroundings for thing that may make noise, such as plants your tail may brush or leaves or twigs you might step on. That's another reason you have to keep your tail down and keep it still."

Wolfpaw nodded. "I understand, Blacktail."

They padded on until they came to a pile of rotting wood, partially covered with dirt. The surroudings were quiet, and Wolfpaw had an ominous feeling. Icy claws tickled her spine.

Blacktail swallowed audibly. "This was a Twoleg nest at one point. Twoleg are large, furless animals that walk on their hind legs. They're very slow.

Anyways, the Twolegs made this nest out of large pieces of wood, but then one day it just collapsed. It has been abandoned since before the Clans were here."

Wolfpaw shuddered. "Can we go?"

Blacktail nodded. "It's about time we got back to camp."

* * *

Wolfpaw proudly carried her first catch into camp. She had caught it on the way back. It was a small wood mouse. She placed it on the fresh-kill pile, and turned around to see her brothers approaching her. She'd recognize Moorpaw's mottled pelt and Damppaw's black fur and grey muzzle anywhere. 

"Wow! You caught something? Great job, Wolfpaw!" Moorpaw purred, pleased with his sister's achievement. Damppaw poked his sister playfully with his paw.

"I'm going to catch more than you tomorrow!" he mewed teasingly.

"No, I will!" Wolfpaw argued immaturely.

"_I'm_ going to catch more than both of you put together!" Moorpaw crowed, and then kits engaged in a friendly tussle.

Wolfpaw had gotten her claws fastened onto Damppaw's ear when the three siblings heard a dry voice.

"No mo' fightin' now! Yew dere 'prenses got somethin' be'er te do! Elmstar'll haff yer heads off if he sees y'alls!"

It was Dustywind. His sandy-hued fur was bristling with annoyance. He separated the kits by batting them with his large paw.

"Git yer tails o'er te da wurriers' din. Mebbe y'alls kin 'elp Fogsturm. Ee's bin slavin' ull day. Needs a rest. Yew three work on it an' give 'im a rest. Stay 'way from Elmstar an' all dat."

Wolfpaw twitched her whiskers in amusement. Dustywind acted all tough on the outside, but he was okay on the inside. She hastily dipped her head with a "Yes, Dustywind", then beckoned to her siblings. Damppaw was pouting and his grey-black tail was lashing in annoyance.

"Who does he think he is, bossing us around like that..."

"A warrior?" Moorpaw asked, humour in his voice.

Wolfpaw _mrrowed_ in amusement. Her brothers could be adamant sometimes. She drew a red-furred paw over her ear to remove some tough pieces of dirt.

Fogstorm was sitting in his nest, staring into space when they found him. Upon noting their presence, his eerie gaze shifted from the wall of the warriors' den to the apprentices. Moorpaw shuddered slightly, and Damppaw drew his tongue over his chest fur. Wolfpaw sighed. She was going to have to speak up.

"We... we were wondering if you needed help with the den expanding," Wolfpaw mewed.

Fogstorm shook his head. "Nope," he meowed happily. "Grassfoot gave me a bit of a hand, and Swiftfoot helped me after Grassfoot left. It'll get done tomorrow. Hey, if Elmstar doesn't have anything planned for you apprentices tomorrow, how about you grab that Lightningpaw fellow and come put the finishing touches on it?"

Moorpaw nodded, his brown-and-grey tail no longer trembling. "That would be great. Thank you, Fogstorm."

"Anytime..."

Moorpaw, Wolfpaw and Damppaw returned to their den without another word. It was darkening quickly outside, but the trio decided to have a good wash before eating. Wolfpaw drew her small pink tongue over her paw and started to draw it over her ear. She paused, a dark colour catching her eye. The skin of her paw pad- it was black. Her pads were pink!

Hastily she checked all of her other pads; true enough, they were pink except for her right forepaw. Wolfpaw was filled with a warm feeling, like that of a flame. At least she thought it was a flame. Her mother had told her flames were hot, but she had never actually seen fire. She quickly dismissed that thought and began to wash the dust and dried sweat off of her pelt from earlier that day.

After she finshed pulling the last burr out of her flank, she got to her paws and trotted out into the clearing towards the fresh-kill pile. She had her eyes on a nice, plump vole, but was shoved away. She fell to her paws and glared in the direction of her assailant. She immeadiately dropped her cold-intentioned gaze when she saw that Elmstar had shouldered her aside.

"Move it, apprentice," he growled. "Next time you should watch where you're going, and be respectful towards your betters, or I'll have you fetching my food before long." He snatched a vole and a robin from the pile before stalking away to the Highledge and his den.

Wolfpaw's jaw dropped. He had taken _two_ pieces of fresh-kill! He was greedy and hadn't done anything all day! Wolfpaw wondered where he had gotten his strength to kill Mudstar from. _He just knows no one will challenge him anytime soon,_ she thought bitterly.

She heaved herself onto her paws, took a small mouse between her jaws and retreated to her den.

* * *

**That's all for now. Thanks to reviewers and Favourite Author/Story Alerters, you guys get cookies! D If you have questions or want to point out a small error, please review or PM me with the details and I'll fix it or answer your question in the next update. I plan to be updating more often than... once every four months... . **

**Thanks everyone!**


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